Cake of material and handle



A 1963 R. B. STAVER 3,100,363

CAKE OF MATERIAL AND HANDLE Filed April 6, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 POBERTBSTAVER INV EN TOR.

1963 R. B. STAVER 3,100,363

CAKE OF MATERIAL AND HANDLE Fi ed A' ril 6, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 2% p j ar 1a :EIEI ll ROBERT B-STAVER IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,100,363 CAKE 0F MATERIAL AND HANDLE Robert B. Staver, 533 Salvatierra, Stanford, Calif. Filed Apr. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 804,283 16 Claims. (Cl. 4528) This invention relates generally to a cake of material and handle and more particularly to a cake of material of the type which is applied by hand, and to novel handles for cakes of material.

In the past, bodies of soap, synthetic detergent-s, waxes, heavy lubricants and the like have been relatively difiicult to hold when they are used. For example, soap cakes become slippery when wet and are often dropped when in use. When cakes of material such as soap, synthetic detergent and the like become thin, they tend to break and portions are washed away or otherwise wasted. Further, when such a cake is relatively thin, it is very difiicult to hold in use. 4

Cakes of material of the above character are generally designed for preferred orientations in the hand when in use, and as a result tend to wear unevenly when employed repeatedly. Also, the hand sometimes becomes fatigued from holding and using an object held for a prolonged period of time.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a cake of material having an improved shape whereby it may be easily grasped in the hand.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cake of material in which a pair of spaced surfaces defines the narrow dimension, and in which one of the surfaces is principally employed for applying the material to objects and the other surface serves to carry securing means.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cake of material in accordance with the foregoing in which an element is secured to one surface of the material in part by what is believed to be an atmospheric pressure bond, said element being joined to a handle, or including provision for cooperating with securable holding means or With supporting means.

It is a furtr'rer object of the present invention to provide a cake of material having a holding means with a horizontally extending base, said base face being attached to one surface of the same such that an appreciably larger force than the weight of the cake of material in a direction generally perpendicular to the horizontally extending base is required to separate said base from the cake.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cake of material and attached member in which breakage of a sworn cake of material is minimized, a worn cake is easily manageable, and the orientation of the cake in use is such that uneven wear after repeated use tends to be minimized.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel handle which permits the use of articles incorporating the same with minimum fatigue and effort.

These and other objects of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawmg.

Referring to the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, in section, showing a cake of material and holding means in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional viewt-aken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional elevational view of another cake and holding means in accordance with the present invention;

defined by a surface of revolution.

"ice

FIGURE 4 is a sectional elevational view of still another cake and holding means;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional elevational view showing a holding means in use in the hand; and

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view showing the preferred position of the fingers, thumb and hand with respect to the cake of material and the holding means.

Referring to FIGURES '1 and 2, the cake of material is indicated generally by the reference numeral 11. The cake of material has a side surface 12, which surface is The surf-ace shown has an inwardly extending concavity :13 which facilitates grasping and holding the article for use. The upper surface can rest in the palm of the hand and the fingers extend over the rounded edges or rim 14 with the thumb lying along the concavity 13. The material rides up along the edge 23. A surface 15, which may be generally flat or moderately curved, is adapted to operate upon associated objects. Thus, if the material 11 is a cake of soap, the surface 15 is adapted to be applied to the skin, clothes or other objects. The axis of the surface-15 is substantially coincident with the axis of the surface of revolution 12. The opposite surface 16 of the cake is adapted to receive a member designated generally by the numeral 17, which member may include a securing base element (or horizontally extending base portion) 18 having a finite surface 19 adapted to form intimate contact with the cake of material 11. The member 17 may include a holding means (handle) such as shown at 2.1, to be presently described in detail, which facilitates holding the cake for application to objects. It will become apparent that the member 17 may be made of plastic, metal, wood or other suitable material, or of any combination of same.

The finite surface 19 cooperates with the cake \11 in such a manner that the axial force required to detach the securing base element 1'8 from the cake is substantial. It is believed that the binding or holding force is primarily due to an atmospheric pressure bond between the cake 11 land finite surface 19. That is, air at atmospheric pressure is excluded from part, if not all, of the interface between the surface 19 and the cake 11 so that the two form intimate contact. -Itis believed that the binding force due to atmospheric pressure alone will give an axial attaching or bonding force which, if a complete atmospheric vacuum is obtained along the interface, is not less than the projected area of the surface 19 normal to the axis times the surrounding atmospheric pressure. The axial attaching forcemay be referred to as adhesion force.

It should be observed that the general configuration of the cake is such that in the absence of a member 17, the cake can be easily grasped with the fingers extending over the rounded rim. The upper surface is accommo dated in the palm. Preferably, a member 17 is employed in conjunction with the cake and the member 17 may include an integral or securable holding means 21.

Referring to FIGURE 3, another cake of material 11 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. The binding force between the member 17a and the ma- Y terial 11 is again believed to be due chiefly to an atmos- 1 pheric pressure bond along the joining interface. The

I ing means, it becomes permanently attached. As defined seeming base element (portion) 18 of the member 17a illustrated in FIGURE 3 includes a shoulder 22. The inclusion of ashoulder 22 in.a cake of" material such as soap or synthetic detergent reduces the erosion of the cake around the lower peripheral edges 'of the member 17a; It thereby tends to assure a more intimate contact fora longer period of time along thefinite surface 19. With a cake of material which has its largest diameter toward the .rtop near the rounded edge or rim 14" and which diameter generally decreases toward the bottom ofthc cake, it should be noted that the using con-tact surface. 15 .7 will tend to remain approximately constant in area asthe cake material is worn away. This is shown in FIGURE 3 by the bottom configurations designated as '15, and the dashed lines.

'- presently.

Referring to FIGURE 4, a cake 11 similar to that of FIGURE 1 is illustrated with a member 171). The member 17b has a lower finite non-planar surface 1% with g sloping side surfaces 24. The material rides over the side surfaces as indicated at 26. Thus, in addition to the binding 'force between the surfiace 19a and the adjacent cake of material 11, the member 17b is wedged into the "material giving added strength. Further, it g'may improve the erosion pattern of the material. The configuration of the sides of the material 11 is changed slightly whereby a more complete concavity 13a is "formed. The member-17b is here formed without a shoulder 22 of the type previously described.

litshould be observed that the general configuration of thecake here'is such that in the absence of a member.

l7 b,-the cake can be easily grasped with the fingersextending over the rounded rims 14 or 48 using the periphshown-in FIGURE 3 is illustrated. However, the member 170 is formed with aseouring'base element 18a and a holding-means '(handle)21b which are seourable to one anotherby fastening meansZli. The securlngbase element 18a includes a shoulder 22 and a peripheral edge 27 protruding beneath said shoulder. The edge 27 acts as a'wedge or locking device, somewhat similar to the embodiment of FIGURE 4, and further occupies *somelof the space under the shoulder 22 thereby red-no ing the amount of material required to form a cake and also reducing the amount of material thatmay be left [over around the periphery of the base when all of the {material is worn away directly beneath the surface 19.

By employing a deflachably securable holding means (handle) 21b, shipping and pacloaging'may be simplified.

The consumer might have a wide choice of variety, size and color for the detachable holding means. The sides of the cake of material shown here in vertical cross-sectionare not concave as previously shown, but approximately 21 straight line. The bottom using surface a is here shown as being concave.

I Referring to'FIGURE 6, another detachably securable holding means (handle) is shown. The holding means of FIGURE 6 is adapted to cooperate with a securing base element portion 18b which is suitably bonded to the material of the cake 11, as previously described. The

lower portion of the holding means 21a carries a flexible -means 31, such as an 0 ring or the like, seated in a V groove 32. The flexible means 31 is adapted to ride past the shoulders 33 and snap into place. in the peripheral groove 34. It should be obvious that the flexible means 31fand groove 32 may be replaced by one or more resilient protnusions located in the same vicinity integral withholding means 21 to accomplish the same purpose. The construction may be such that upon afiixing the hold- Note should be made of modified holding meansflla, which will be described herein, a securable holding means may be detachably or permanently arfixed to thec'ooperating object. it should be apparent that the base element portion 18b may be made of plastic, metal, wood orany othersuitable malteri al. In FIGURE 7, another type of detachable holding meansr(handle) is shown. A securing base element portion 18c is bonded to the cake of material and provided with means for receiving and holding a detachable holding means (handle) 21a. Various means forremovably attaching the securing base element portion, such as'shown at 18c and 18b, to holding means 21 may be employed besides screw and snap-on means.

,"Oither such means, for example, might be magnetic atshown in FIGURE 6. The O ring is replaced by an interrupted resilient integral configuration of the handle base that performs the same function. Note that the handle here is designed to be grasped by the entire hand.

The plan cross-section of the cake of material may be of any suitable configuration such as round, oval, rectangular or square. e I Referring to FIGURE 9, a member 17d is illustrated which includes a holding means (handle) 21a and an integral securing base element portion 1&2 having an un- 'eral concavity 13a to secure a better grip on the cake. 'Thu's, such a cake may have two using surfaces and may be gripped from either direction. a

F Referring to FIGURE 5, a member 17c similar to that even bottom sm'fiace 19b. The unevenness may be achieved in many ways, as for example, by providing grooves 318. Such a configuration of the securing base element 18 improves the bond and reduces any tendency for sidewise slippage of the base on the material. It

should be further observed that the securing portion may also include a hollow cavity 39. This tends to buoy the material when thecake is placed in water and the cake material needed to make the'member 17d.

'course, apparent. that the cavity 3 9rmay be formed incan be made to float. Also, it reduces the amount of It is, of

tegral in the 'member 17d, or may be a well formed in the lower surface of the'member such as that shown in FIGURE 7. The cake or material or securing base element, as shown in FIGURE 7, may form one wall of the cavity. Also, the cavity or well may be within a securing base element such 2131811 in FIGURE 5.

It is observed throughout several of the drawings that the holding means (handle) 21a includes a narrow shank or stem 41, FIGURE 10', with a relatively broad flange or head 42 having a lower surface 43. The upper surface 9 of'the lower portion of the member 17 lying outwardly from the base of the stem 41 provides an opposed'surface 44. The two surfaces 43 and 44 are here shown .as not being parallel, but as diverging away from the shank. When the holding means, which term may describe a member that includesmeans enabling the hand 'to hold said member, is held between a pair of adjacent fingers 46 and 47 as shown in FIGURES 10 and 11,

there is a tendency for the opposed surfaces 43 and 44 to Wedge the fingers between the same.

Thus, there is a force which prevents slippage.

This oiiers several 'advantages; among'others, it prevents slipping of the cake of material; and it serves to permit the handle to accommodateitself todiflcrent size fingersjand still fit snugly 'with a sure grip so that the article may be lightly clasped between the fingers 46 and 47. The relatively broad flange 42 also enables the hand to retain possession of the cake 11 when the hand is relaxed. The flange is too broad to fall through the narrow crotch formed by adjacent fingers evenwith the fingers relaxed. A further gripping advantage may result from this design when the object is held in certain positions. For example, when the object is held downward with the hand in a somewhat relaxed position, the turning moment imparted to the object by the mass of the object, about that portion of the handle being gripped, may cause some rotation which results in the surfaces described as 43 and 44 tending to lock to the fingers 46 and 47. It is apparent that the handle may be used advantageously with objects other than cakes of material, for example, for sanders, polishers, and other hand-held objects and appliances. It should be noted that the material sides are here shown as being convex rather than concave as in FIGURE 1.

In certain instances, as for example when employing a handle of this type for soap, the soap may make the handle rather slippery. To correct for this, it may be desirable to provide friction means such as a roughened surface and the like on portions of the member 17, for example, along any part of the shank 41 and surfaces 43 and 44 which cooperate with the fingers, as well as along the upper surface of the securing portion 18 outwardly adjacent to the lower opposed surface 44, which usually comes in contact with part of the under surface of the hand.

The body of material may be any of various materials such as soap including synthetic detergent, wax, heavy lubricants, rubbing compounds, etc. Further, the plan view in cross-section of the cake of material need not necessarily be that formed by a surface of revolution, although that general configuration is the preferred embodiment, but may be of any suitable configuration such as round, oval, rectangular or square. It might be pointed out that the preferred embodiment may be approached in plan view cross-section by a polygon of sufficient sides so as to generally resemble a round section. These sides could be either flat or curved. Further, an article of the general character described may have more than one using surface. For example, a small element bonded to the end of a rectangular bar of soap would leave several using surfaces avail-able. Also, a small element bonded to one of two principal spaced surfaces, if not too large, might still permit both these surfaces to be applied to objects being treated; to what relative degree would depend on the size of the surfaces, the size of the element, and whether any handle or other element protruded upward from the base element.

The handles may be made of any suitable substance such as plastic, wood, metal, fiber, or other material, alone or in combination, and may, in whole or in part, be rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible. Further, the thinstemmed handles need not be a protuberance of revolution. Such a thin-stemmed handle may, for example, be curved in an arc with its central stem portion being off-center so as to enable the cake of material to be grasped farther within the cup of the hand. Also, for another example, the handle shank may be of generally oval or other crosssection and, if desired, pivotable or twistable on the handle base. The shank might even be a piece of rope or heavy twine with something in the nature of a button on top. It should be clear that an element may be attached to a cake of material such as soap either in the cake forming process or after such a cake is formed. The latter might be readily accomplished with a cake having a recess configuration, for example, such as shown in FIGURES 1, 3, 6, 7 and 10. This could be facilitated by first softening the material surface to be joined. Interlocking joining arrangements may also be made.

It should be clear that the handle member and the body of material may be made in various materials and sizes and combinations of sizes. For example, the regular size handle member or separate base element may be used with small, medium, and large sizes of cake material. A hotel-size cake of soap with a regular size handle would be entirely practical. Also, both the handles and the soap cake might be made up in childrens sizes. The member and the body of material, or a portion thereof,

may contain the same or different materials suitable for the. purposes herein indicated.

It is seen that there is provided a cake of material of improved shape and design such that it may be easily grasped in the hand. There is provided a securing base element which can be secured to the .body of material and which isjoined to a novel handle or which may include provision for cooperating with securable holding means or supporting means. The novel holding means is of such configuration that it may be easily grasped between adjacent fingers and provides a comfortable, snug and secure fit.

I claim: 1

1. In combination, a body of erodable material of a size to be grasped in a hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and holding means having a horizontally extending base portion and attached to said upper surface portion, a slender substantial-1y symmetrical stem extending upwardly from said base portion, said stem being sufficiently slender to be positioned in any orientation in the crotch of adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree and a head carried by the upper end of said stem.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein at least part of said horizontally extending base portion normally in juxtaposition with said material contains irregularities which serve to control the passage of fluid from immediately adjacent one portion of said base to another portion of the same.

3. In combination a body of erodable material of a size to be grasped in a hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and holding means having 'a horizontally extending base portion and adhering to said upper surface portion, a slender stem extending upwardly from said base portion, said stem being sufiiciently slender to be positioned in the crotch of adjacent fingers of a hand Without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree, a head provided at the upper end of said stem, said head extending laterally therefrom; the upper surface of said base portion and the under surface of said head being spaced apart a distance sufiicient to accommodate the fingers of said hand and generally converging inwardly towards said stem whereby to fit snugly on fingers of different sizes; the side of said body provided with a circumferentially extending and laterally projecting rim adjacent said upper surface whereby to enable the fin'ger tips and thumb of said hand to firmly grip said body.

4. In combination, a body of erodable material of a size to be grasped in a hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and holding means having a horizontally extending base portion and adhering to said upper surface portion, a slender stem extending upwardly from said base portion, said stem being sufli-ciently slender to be positioned in the crotch of adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree, a head provided at the upper end of said stem, said head extending laterally therefrom; the upper surface of said base portion and the under surface of said head being spaced apart a distance sufficient to accommodate the fingers of said hand and generally converging inwardly towards said stem whereby to fit snugly on fingers of different sizes; the side of said body provided with a peripheral concavity to accommodate the thumb of said hand.

5. In combination, a body of material of a size to be grasped in a hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and holding means having a horizontally extending base portion and adhering to said upper surface portion, a slender stem extending upwardly from said base portion, said stem being sufficiently slender to be positioned in the crotch of adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree, a head provided at the upper end of said stem, said head extending laterally therefrom; the

upper surface of said base portion and the under surface of said head being spaced apart a distance sufficient to accommodate the fingers of said hand and generally converging inwardly'towards said stem whereby to fit snugly on fingers of different sizes; any portion of the exterior surface of said holding means engageable with said hand being provided with surface irregularities whereby to provide a non-slip friction surface. I

6. Incombination, a body of material of a size to be grasped in a hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and holding means having a horizontally extending base portion and adhering to said upper surface portion, a slender stem extending upwardly from said base portion, said stem being sufiiciently slender to be positioned in the crotch of adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree, a head provided at the upper end of said stem, said head extending laterally therefrom; the upper surface of said base portion and the under surface of said head being spaced apart a distance sufiicient to accommodate the fingers of said hand and generally converging inwardly towards said stem whereby to fit snugly on fingers of different sizes; the center of gravity of the body of material being so located with respect to the central stem portion of the holding means that, with the hand held generally downward, the mass of the body of material produces a turning moment of force about they vicinity of the central stem portion'that is held be tween the fingers which causes a force-couple to be imparted by the combination against the hand, whereby to cause the combination to assume a self-locking grip with the hand held almost completely relaxed.

7. In combination, a body of material of a size to be grasped in a hand and manipulated thereby, said body 'having'an upper surface portion; and holding means having a horizontally extending base portion and adhering to said upper surface portion, a slender stem extending upwardly from said base portion, said stem being sufiiciently slender to be positioned in the crotch of adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an 8 comfortable degree; said holding means comprising two interengageable parts one of which is adhered to said upper surface.

9. In combination, a body of material of a size to be grasped in a hand and manipulated thereby, said body having an upper surface portion; and holding means having a horizontally extending base portion and adhering to grasped in a hand and manipulated thereby, said body said upper surface portion, a slender stem extending upwardly from said base portion, said stem being sufficiently slender to be positioned in the crotch of adjacent fingers of a hand without spreading said fingers to an uncomfortable degree; wherein said holding means is at least partially hollow whereby to define, in said combination, an internal cavity imparting buoyancy to said combination.

, 10. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein the outer surface of said stem and the under surface of said head in the region adjacent to said outer stem surface and the opposed surface beneath the described under surface of said head are generally symmetrical about their axes.

11. The combination defined in claim 10 wherein said body of material contains soap.

12. The combination defined in claim 11 wherein said body of material is generally symmetrical about its axis.

13. A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said body of material has a peripheral side surface converging inwardly in a direction away from said upper surface portion.

14. 'A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the under surface of said head, outwardly of said stem, is of generally concave configuration.

l5. Acombination as defined in claim 1 wherein said base portion has a peripheral edge portion embedded in said body of material, said peripheral edgeportion having a circumferential groove interlocking with the material of said body. 7

16. A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said body of erodable material includes soap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 268,321 Van Haagen Nov. 28, I882 1,908,017 Hebig 'May 9, 1933 1,975,016 Nassif Sept. 25, 1934 2,243,634 Kadish May 27, 1941 2,603,032 Huber July 15, 1952 2,792,349 Le Vier et al May 14, 1957 2,829,393 Turcotte Apr. 8, 1958 2,934,852 Heberling May 3, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 789,025 France sp. 1935 277,943 Switzerland Dec. 17, 1951 

1. IN COMBINATION, A BODY OF ERODABLE MATERIAL OF A SIZE TO BE GRASPED IN A HAND AND MANIPULATED THEREBY, SAID BODY HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE PORTION; AND HOLDING MEANS HAVING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING BASE PORTION AND ATTACHED TO SAID UPPER SURFACE PORTION, A SLENDER SUBSTANTIALLY SYMMETRICAL STEM EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BASE PORTION, SAID STEM BEING SUFFICIENTLY SLENDER TO BE POSITIONED IN ANY ORIENTATION IN THE CROTCH OF ADJACENT FINGERS OF A HAND WITHOUT SPREADING SAID FINGERS TO AN UN- 